Gestational Diabetes Group - Us vs. the Carbs

[northern_me]

Looks like I'm jumping in ladies I failed my second test and got results today.

 

[Amythyst]

Awe, I'd say welcome to the club northern_me but I'm not sure if welcoming someone to GD is appropriate. Please let us know if you have any questions and keep us posted on your progress.

You guys should take solace in the fact that you are getting GD later in pregnancy... I've had it since 16 weeks!!!

 

[oneway]

Welcome northern_me! Hope you find this group useful. We all try to help and support each other here. The good news is that you will learn to eat really healthy on this diet. I am going to continue to use priniciples of this diet after delivery so that I can safely lose weight that I have carried around for the past 10 years.

Some of us were diagnosed earlier than others, like Amythyst said. And some of us have had GD with an earlier pregnancy. I did not have GD with my last delivery although I was tested twice for it. Once at 24 weeks and once at 33 weeks and I was fine. I had a whopper of a baby though, 10 lbs 2 oz! But baby's dad is 6'4" so it might have been genetics. This time, I started out about 10 lbs overweight and am over 35 years of age with a father who has diabetes. So I tick a lot of boxes for risk factors. I kind of expected to get GD this time and I did.

Hope that you find this a safe group to share your successes and frustrations on this journey! Welcome

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Welcome Northern

Sorry, uk and us numbers are confusing.

I used an mmol v. Mgdl calculator and I need to be under 108 fasting and under 140 post eating

In my 2nd pregnancy I had to be under 108 pre food and the same 2 hours post food.

This pregnancy the hospital policy has changed and they are interested in the peak.

Oneway - my GD started with DD2 at 16 weeks, this time not til 17.5 weeks which was irritatingly the day my morning sickness stopped.

 

[Amythyst]

They are nicer to you about your fasting number Amelie, mine has to be under 90 when I wake up. I had cut back my insulin at night to 10 units but the last few mornings it has been either at 90 or at like 91 or 92. So, I may have to bump it up a few units.

I also think I may keep to this diet (somewhat) after giving birth. I figure if I can do it for 6+ months then I should be able to do it all the time. Since I have PCOS, its really better for me to eat low carb. But, I will say I will be glad when I can eat more carbs and not have it bother me as much. I have to keep my carbs very low like 1-2 servings per meal just to stay low. I think I could eat more but like tonight when we went out to dinner for new year's, I just checked and I'm at 141 ... very very close to the target, but I'm used to my numbers after eating to be like 112 or 120. I did splurge a little bit and had some mashed potatoes and a bit of a pastry that was on my beef wellington.

 

[eventerjj]

I am also joining the group here I did a 2 hour test today and my final count was too high 8 instead of 7.6). With the exception of the holidays, hubby and I eat super healthy, go to the gym a lot and I have only gain 7.5 lbs over prepregnancy weight so far (5'6" and current 156 lbs) so I did not think I would have any trouble passing.

I should be getting my testing stuff and meet with the nutritionist sometime this next week I guess. Living in China, I have a difficult time finding some things, like wheat or whole grain breads. This could be an interesting next few months!

 

[Amythyst]

Hi there Eventerjj - Yea I can't imagine how hard it is to get low carb things in different parts of the world. I have a hard enough time doing it here in the States. I have a website that I order things from that I can't find in the grocery stores but I think they only ship to the US.

Last night I had the strangest time getting my sugar under 140. I ate a grilled cheese sandwich with bologna on my low carb bread and a small baked potato with sour cream and butter and I was 156 after an hour and even two hours later I was still at 136. Then at about 3 hours afterward I was down back in the 80's. I'm usually spot on and within the 110-120 range after eating but for some reason this little baked potato threw me off... perhaps I didn't eat enough protein. I think I may have to lay off the potatoes.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I have real issues with any potato, I can't even have soup thickened with the tiniest bit of potato. I just don't think they like me!

 

[oneway]

I am looking forward to week 32. What Amelie said gives me hope. You are close enough Amythyst! I am almost over my sinus infection and conjunctivitis so my numbers are normalizing now. Hopefully I will find my numbers easier to control after week 32.

 

[Amythyst]

I have real issues with any potato, I can't even have soup thickened with the tiniest bit of potato. I just don't think they like me!

I usually have no issues with potatoes as long as I don't each french fries. Just the other day I had sausages with mashed potatoes and was fine with that. Weird how things change from day to day.

Big one for me is milk ... here in the states they put 12g of Carbs per 1/2 cup of milk! No matter if its whole, skim, 2% - its stupid! Do they do that in you guy's countries? But any amount of regular milk I drink sends my number up. I suppose I could drink it if I really drank 1/2 cup or less.... but that's no fun! Luckily I did find some milk here that only had 3g of sugar in it per 1 cup and it is sweetened with splenda.

I'm just glad the holidays are over... sucked being pregnant during Christmas and stuff with GD.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I have just moved on to lacto free milk.

In the UK it is much the same. There is one brand that is lacto free, I am a bit nervous of soy etc.

I really like tea and drink a lot of decaff. It sends me from low 4's (low 80's) to over 100 - just for a little bit of milk!

It is sad, I could drink pints of it with my DD1 and DD2...

 

[Amythyst]

Yea, it is sad... sounds like milk reacts the same for both of us. If you don't want to try soy, you could try unsweetened Almond milk. If they have that in the UK? I was drinking that before I found this other low carb milk. Here, I was getting it flavored with Vanilla. It was okay... but not the same as milk.

 

[oneway]

Have you ladies tried whole milk? The fat might help slow down the absorption of milk sugars. The whole milk I have in my fridge shows 8.8 gms of carbs per cup. I could not do this diet without milk, greek yogurt or cheese. I would go insane. You ladies have my sympathies!

 

[Amythyst]

Have you ladies tried whole milk? The fat might help slow down the absorption of milk sugars. The whole milk I have in my fridge shows 8.8 gms of carbs per cup. I could not do this diet without milk, greek yogurt or cheese. I would go insane. You ladies have my sympathies!

No, I hadn't thought about trying whole milk actually. I'm quite happy with the low carb milk I found though. Its 2% milk and I believe it has cream in it as well. So, it almost has the consistency of whole milk but it really tastes good as well.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

This lacto free milk I have found in the UK is really nice and tastes the same but negligable effect on sugars.

I don't seem to have the same issue with cheese?

I did consider whole milk. My girls drink a lot of milk, as does DH. I wouldn't mind changing the girls on to whole milk but my husbands would moan as he doesn't like the taste. In some ways it feels easier just having my little separate carton and also I have some pods of milk to put in my bag for at work and at other peoples houses.

Amythist - how do you get on with cheeses? Am I just such a hardcore milk addict I've been over dosing on it?! Lol.

 

[eventerjj]

It is so nice seeing all of these posts! I don't get my meter until Thursday so I have no idea how things change my sugars yet. I have started looking at labels and since we are home from the holidays now, we are back to our good healthy eating. I'm so glad I didn't know before the holidays!(sorry to those that did )

My biggest problem with figuring things out is that the Chinese govt requires a food label meeting their requirements on any food item, so where do they get stuck? Directly over top of all of the info I need and you can't read through or peel off the label. I'm hoping the dietician will be able to help me play character match so I know what to look for.

 

[oneway]

Eventerjj, it's so cool that you live in China! What an international group we are

I would think that a traditional Chinese meal is quite GD friendly. Lots of veggies and some meat and just a tiny bowl of rice. At least, that's what my Chinese friend from Shanghai used to serve us when she invited us over for dinner.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Is brown rice available in china or is is mainly white rice?

Brown rice - and wholemeal foods are much better for your sugars.

I have chinese takeaway still. Loads of veggies and beansprouts, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts - I normally have that with shredded beef or chicken.

 

[Amythyst]

Amelie - Cheese is perfectly fine. I eat cheese like crazy. Cheese does not inherently have any carbs in it. Depending on the product, it may get 1g or 2g per serving but that's about it (at least in the US).

Definitely do brown rice instead of white. Brown rice carbs absorb more slowly than white.

Also, do they have shirataki noodles in China? We have them here in the US and they are basically a zero carb noodle that I have found is fairly palatable. And of course tofu is always an option.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I assumed cheese was fine because I've eaten like a tonne of it over Christmas and have been fine.

I may have waisted away to nothing if cheese banned! The lacto free milk is working miracles, negligable effects from a cup of tea now